Al-Ankabut
Encyclopedia
Sura
t al-‘Ankabūt (The Spider) is the 29th sura of the Qur'an
with 69 verses
. It is a meccan surah due to the introduction concerning the persecution of the Muslims. The early Muslims were persecuted in Mecca, where the Prophet Muhammed was not a head of state and not persecuted in Medina, where he was a head of state and had some protection. The surah states that Noah
, Abraham
, Lot
, Shu'ayb, Hud
, Saleh
, Moses
and Muhammad
all were prophets of God. All of them endured hardships. For example, Noah was ridiculed often and Abraham was thrown into the fire. But God destroyed their people who transgressed. As it says in verse 40,
The first 13 verses, according to Allama Tabatabai, are concerned with the early Muslims and their persecutors, the Makkan pagans. One interpretation is that an early companion of the Prophet Muhammed, Ammar bin Yasir, had believed in him and was consequently tortured along with his parents. According to the ahadith, he came to the Prophet and told him that his parents were killed right in front of him and he was forced to commit polytheism (shirk) under torture of the pagans. The prophet told him that as long as he did not mean it and believe it in his heart, then God would not hold him responsible." This fitna that Ammar was going through, even though it was difficult torture, was his test. Ammar stayed devoted to the Prophet throughout his whole life and was martyred in the Battle of Siffin.
The example of those people, who have consciously and deliberately adopted/perceived for themselves as protectors/benefactors/god fathers other than Allah, is like the peculiar state of a specific she-spider who deliberately adopted a house [for protection of her off springs]. And it is a fact that the flimsiest of the houses is certainly that adopted house of the female spider; had they but known/have the information. [29:41]
After translating the words كَمَثَلِ الْعَنكَبُوتِ اتَّخَذَتْ بَيْتًا to mean that the Spider builds/makes a house it is explained in the exegeses in Urdu and English that the spider's web is the weakest of the houses. But the fact of the matter is that there is not a single word which could make us infer that Qur'aan has referred to "Spider's web". Qur'aan has not even said that spider makes or builds a house. It has said that اتَّخَذَتْ بَيْتًا "she acquired/seized/took/adopted as house".
اتَّخَذَتْ Verb: Perfect; third person; singular; feminine; [Form-VIII] Subject pronoun hidden, and -اِتِّخَاذٌ verbal noun. It signifies to take, receive, get, seize, capture, acquire, and adopt. This has been used in relation to اتَّخَذُوا Verb: Perfect; third person; plural; masculine; [Form-VIII]; و Subject pronoun, in nominative state; مصدر-اِتِّخَاذٌ verbal noun, from the same Root. which has correctly been translated in the above quoted translations as "take, choose, accept".
Web of the Spider is not a house but it is a trap. A trap is built, constructed, structured, and made. One could infer "Spider's web" if the words used were "بيَّت البيت""constructed a house". Male and female spider do not live together as a family therefore there can't be a question of family mansion. Male and female construct/build traps individually and separately. Male and female belonging to even the same specie do not come closer when overpowered by the desire of mating. They first introduce and recognize each other before coming closer for love and sex.
It could be misleading for many to read in the exegeses ascribing it to the Grand Qur'aan that "Spider's Web is the weakest of the houses" while the Qur'aan has not said this. It is now known to the majority of the people that Spider's Web is not week and its thread is one of the finest things.
Whichever encyclopedia we may open we will find that Spider's web is a strong and fine thing with top of the line thread. Spider's thread is five times stronger than the steel of same thickness, and can stretch to four times its own length. In the presence of this information/data if we accept what was stated by earlier/modern writers we will attribute to Grand Qur'aan something which is contrary to the fact.
But this is certainly not the statement of Qur'aan. Qur'aan's statement is that which its own words describe and not that what some people perceived on the basis of their own understanding formed on incomplete or poor information.
اتَّخَذَتْ بَيْتًا is the verbal sentence, in accusative state, as circumstantial clause describing the state of the Peculiar Female Spider. Allah has given the example of those people who have adopted/considered/perceived as أَوْلِيَآءَ protectors, benefactors/god fathers other than Allah with the habit/act of a peculiar female spider who has adopted a house, and then informed about that house being the weakest one; and exclaimed that had they some information/knowledge about it.
“The females of many species place the egg sac on a stalk, wraps leaves about it, attach it to a stone, or cover it with smooth silk before abandoning it. Other females guard the egg sac or carry it either in their jaws or attached to the spinnerets. If a female loses an egg sac, she makes searching movements and may pick up a pebble or a piece of paper and attach it to the spinnerets. (With thanks from Encyclopedia Britannica-Spider}”
A man who acquires, adopts and considers other deities and people as أَوْلِيَآءَ is actually in pursuit of finding some support with the intention of getting some strength/position and protection of interests. He escapes the reality to find refuge in conjecture, fascination, and imagination and adopts them who soothe him with idea of their being a visible protector. It is but self psychological deception.
The female spider despite knowing that the piece of paper does not contain her eggs, she takes it to her "chest". And there has never been dearth of people who keep such papers/traditions/sayings void of any substance/knowledge and proof closely to their chests and are seldom prepared to have a look on that "paper" to evaluate/weigh it if there existed anything of substance wrapped in it.
“And when it was/is said for [to] them, "You people consciously and heartily follow practically that which Allah has sent [in the Book]", they replied/say; "No, instead We will keep following that upon which we found our fathers had been". [how irrational/illogical is the response, without having refuted the proposed fact] Would they keep following their forefather despite the fact if they were not reflecting/recognizing/differentiating something and nor were they consciously attempting to get guided/arrive at rational conclusion?" [2:170]
We have seen that certain people were asked to listen to the words of the Book and conduct accordingly but their immediate and plain response is that they were comfortable with what they had found their earlier generations/fathers saying/believing and doing. They don't seem interested in the words of book what to say of rebutting it with some argument. There attention is drawn towards two things without condemning their forefathers that would they keep following them with regard to something upon which their forefathers had not لاَ يَعْقِلُونَ شَيْئاً reflected/pondered and/or they did not have لاَ يَعْلَمُونَ شَيْئاً information/knowledge about something.
Knowledge is only of ءَايَةً , corporeal, real thing having dimensions; and the words of Allah sent in Qur'aan are also called ءَايَةً since it is said by Him Who knows visible and invisible of everything. A statement about a thing made by the All Knower is as visible as anything else to the perception of human beings. Anything beyond ءَايَةً is nothing but conjecture, تخيل, imagination, and false. Compressing/preserving/captivating data/information about things is called "عقل" and the process by which we keep comparing/sorting things and finding the difference and relationships is called "تعقل, يعقل" i.e. to reflect/ponder/process the acquired data/information/knowledge to arrive at conclusions/guidance. After giving the example of habit of female spider it has been told:
"And these are the examples which we give/quote for benefit of people. But no one can reflect/ponder/analyze except those who have the information/data/knowledge" [29:43]
It is a matter of common sense that men can reflect/ponder/process/analyze only after he has acquired data/information about something. Allah has quite unambiguously informed that knowledge about the universe and human body will progressively reveal to humanity since acquiring of knowledge needs constant and persistent pursuit of things to find mutual relationships. Therefore to keep stuck and following the traditions/saying of the past generations is a behavior/attitude of the sheep and cattle. About the attitude of aforesaid people it is categorically announced:
And the comparable similarity example of those people who have deliberately refused to accept is like the one who shepherds a herd with that sound in which he listens nothing meaningful except calls and whoops. They are deaf, dumb, and blind; resultantly they do not reflect/recognize/differentiate. [2:171]
The shackles coming from our earlier generations in the shape of traditions and sayings can be removed, to revive ourselves to true wisdom and knowledge, if we decide to keep ourselves bound with the words of the Qur'aan since it is the statement of proven facts, and other things are not void of doubt, conjecture, hearsay and speculative thinking of many of our earlier forefathers.
[For detailed study please see the link on 01-Surat Fateh "Word by Word Analysis"]
Sura
A sura is a division of the Qur'an, often referred to as a chapter. The term chapter is sometimes avoided, as the suras are of unequal length; the shortest sura has only three ayat while the longest contains 286 ayat...
t al-‘Ankabūt (The Spider) is the 29th sura of the Qur'an
Qur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
with 69 verses
Ayah
Ayah or Aayah is the Arabic word for sign or proof:"These are the Ayat of Allah, which We recite to you with truth...
. It is a meccan surah due to the introduction concerning the persecution of the Muslims. The early Muslims were persecuted in Mecca, where the Prophet Muhammed was not a head of state and not persecuted in Medina, where he was a head of state and had some protection. The surah states that Noah
Noah
Noah was, according to the Hebrew Bible, the tenth and last of the antediluvian Patriarchs. The biblical story of Noah is contained in chapters 6–9 of the book of Genesis, where he saves his family and representatives of all animals from the flood by constructing an ark...
, Abraham
Abraham
Abraham , whose birth name was Abram, is the eponym of the Abrahamic religions, among which are Judaism, Christianity and Islam...
, Lot
Lot (Bible)
Lot is a man from the Book of Genesis chapters 11-14 and 19, in the Hebrew Bible. Notable episodes in his life include his travels with his uncle Abram ; his flight from the destruction of Sodom, in the course of which Lot's wife looked back and became a pillar of salt; and the seduction by his...
, Shu'ayb, Hud
Hud (prophet)
Hud is the name of a prophet of ancient Arabia, who is mentioned in the Qur'an. The eleventh chapter of the Qur'an, Hud, is named after him, though the narrative of Hud comprises only a small portion of the chapter.-Historical context:...
, Saleh
Saleh
Saleh or Salih was a prophet of ancient Arabia mentioned in the Qur'an, who prophesied to the tribe of the Thamud. He is mentioned nine times throughout the Qur'an and his people are frequently referenced as a wicked community who, because of their sins, were ultimately destroyed...
, Moses
Moses
Moses was, according to the Hebrew Bible and Qur'an, a religious leader, lawgiver and prophet, to whom the authorship of the Torah is traditionally attributed...
and Muhammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
all were prophets of God. All of them endured hardships. For example, Noah was ridiculed often and Abraham was thrown into the fire. But God destroyed their people who transgressed. As it says in verse 40,
So each We punished for his sin; of them was he on whom We sent down a violent storm, and of them was he whom the rumbling overtook, and of them was he whom We made to be swallowed up by the earth, and of them was he whom We drowned; and it did not beseem Allah that He should be unjust to them, but they were unjust to their own souls.
First 13 verses
In these first verses, the main principle of God testing (fitna) the faith and patience of mankind is established. The first verses are addressed to all of mankind. God says, "Do men think that they will be left alone on saying, We believe, and not be tried?" According to Tabatabai, fitna (trying or testing ones faith) is a practice of God. It is how God separates the truly sincere ones from the hypocrites whose faith is superficial. In order to succeed in the test, patience and reliance on God is necessary.The first 13 verses, according to Allama Tabatabai, are concerned with the early Muslims and their persecutors, the Makkan pagans. One interpretation is that an early companion of the Prophet Muhammed, Ammar bin Yasir, had believed in him and was consequently tortured along with his parents. According to the ahadith, he came to the Prophet and told him that his parents were killed right in front of him and he was forced to commit polytheism (shirk) under torture of the pagans. The prophet told him that as long as he did not mean it and believe it in his heart, then God would not hold him responsible." This fitna that Ammar was going through, even though it was difficult torture, was his test. Ammar stayed devoted to the Prophet throughout his whole life and was martyred in the Battle of Siffin.
Verses 14 to 40
The prophets mentioned in these verses are Noah, Abraham, Lot, Shu'ayb, Hud, Saleh, and Moses. Their people who did not believe them and continued to transgress or reject the call were destroyed.Verses 41 to 55
مَثَلُ الَّذِينَ اتَّخَذُوا مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ أَوْلِيَاءَ كَمَثَلِ الْعَنكَبُوتِ اتَّخَذَتْ بَيْتًا وَإِنَّ أَوْهَنَ الْبُيُوتِ لَبَيْتُ الْعَنكَبُوتِ لَوْ كَانُوا يَعْلَمُونَThe example of those people, who have consciously and deliberately adopted/perceived for themselves as protectors/benefactors/god fathers other than Allah, is like the peculiar state of a specific she-spider who deliberately adopted a house [for protection of her off springs]. And it is a fact that the flimsiest of the houses is certainly that adopted house of the female spider; had they but known/have the information. [29:41]
After translating the words كَمَثَلِ الْعَنكَبُوتِ اتَّخَذَتْ بَيْتًا to mean that the Spider builds/makes a house it is explained in the exegeses in Urdu and English that the spider's web is the weakest of the houses. But the fact of the matter is that there is not a single word which could make us infer that Qur'aan has referred to "Spider's web". Qur'aan has not even said that spider makes or builds a house. It has said that اتَّخَذَتْ بَيْتًا "she acquired/seized/took/adopted as house".
اتَّخَذَتْ Verb: Perfect; third person; singular; feminine; [Form-VIII] Subject pronoun hidden, and -اِتِّخَاذٌ verbal noun. It signifies to take, receive, get, seize, capture, acquire, and adopt. This has been used in relation to اتَّخَذُوا Verb: Perfect; third person; plural; masculine; [Form-VIII]; و Subject pronoun, in nominative state; مصدر-اِتِّخَاذٌ verbal noun, from the same Root. which has correctly been translated in the above quoted translations as "take, choose, accept".
Web of the Spider is not a house but it is a trap. A trap is built, constructed, structured, and made. One could infer "Spider's web" if the words used were "بيَّت البيت""constructed a house". Male and female spider do not live together as a family therefore there can't be a question of family mansion. Male and female construct/build traps individually and separately. Male and female belonging to even the same specie do not come closer when overpowered by the desire of mating. They first introduce and recognize each other before coming closer for love and sex.
It could be misleading for many to read in the exegeses ascribing it to the Grand Qur'aan that "Spider's Web is the weakest of the houses" while the Qur'aan has not said this. It is now known to the majority of the people that Spider's Web is not week and its thread is one of the finest things.
Whichever encyclopedia we may open we will find that Spider's web is a strong and fine thing with top of the line thread. Spider's thread is five times stronger than the steel of same thickness, and can stretch to four times its own length. In the presence of this information/data if we accept what was stated by earlier/modern writers we will attribute to Grand Qur'aan something which is contrary to the fact.
But this is certainly not the statement of Qur'aan. Qur'aan's statement is that which its own words describe and not that what some people perceived on the basis of their own understanding formed on incomplete or poor information.
اتَّخَذَتْ بَيْتًا is the verbal sentence, in accusative state, as circumstantial clause describing the state of the Peculiar Female Spider. Allah has given the example of those people who have adopted/considered/perceived as أَوْلِيَآءَ protectors, benefactors/god fathers other than Allah with the habit/act of a peculiar female spider who has adopted a house, and then informed about that house being the weakest one; and exclaimed that had they some information/knowledge about it.
“The females of many species place the egg sac on a stalk, wraps leaves about it, attach it to a stone, or cover it with smooth silk before abandoning it. Other females guard the egg sac or carry it either in their jaws or attached to the spinnerets. If a female loses an egg sac, she makes searching movements and may pick up a pebble or a piece of paper and attach it to the spinnerets. (With thanks from Encyclopedia Britannica-Spider}”
A man who acquires, adopts and considers other deities and people as أَوْلِيَآءَ is actually in pursuit of finding some support with the intention of getting some strength/position and protection of interests. He escapes the reality to find refuge in conjecture, fascination, and imagination and adopts them who soothe him with idea of their being a visible protector. It is but self psychological deception.
The female spider despite knowing that the piece of paper does not contain her eggs, she takes it to her "chest". And there has never been dearth of people who keep such papers/traditions/sayings void of any substance/knowledge and proof closely to their chests and are seldom prepared to have a look on that "paper" to evaluate/weigh it if there existed anything of substance wrapped in it.
“And when it was/is said for [to] them, "You people consciously and heartily follow practically that which Allah has sent [in the Book]", they replied/say; "No, instead We will keep following that upon which we found our fathers had been". [how irrational/illogical is the response, without having refuted the proposed fact] Would they keep following their forefather despite the fact if they were not reflecting/recognizing/differentiating something and nor were they consciously attempting to get guided/arrive at rational conclusion?" [2:170]
We have seen that certain people were asked to listen to the words of the Book and conduct accordingly but their immediate and plain response is that they were comfortable with what they had found their earlier generations/fathers saying/believing and doing. They don't seem interested in the words of book what to say of rebutting it with some argument. There attention is drawn towards two things without condemning their forefathers that would they keep following them with regard to something upon which their forefathers had not لاَ يَعْقِلُونَ شَيْئاً reflected/pondered and/or they did not have لاَ يَعْلَمُونَ شَيْئاً information/knowledge about something.
Knowledge is only of ءَايَةً , corporeal, real thing having dimensions; and the words of Allah sent in Qur'aan are also called ءَايَةً since it is said by Him Who knows visible and invisible of everything. A statement about a thing made by the All Knower is as visible as anything else to the perception of human beings. Anything beyond ءَايَةً is nothing but conjecture, تخيل, imagination, and false. Compressing/preserving/captivating data/information about things is called "عقل" and the process by which we keep comparing/sorting things and finding the difference and relationships is called "تعقل, يعقل" i.e. to reflect/ponder/process the acquired data/information/knowledge to arrive at conclusions/guidance. After giving the example of habit of female spider it has been told:
"And these are the examples which we give/quote for benefit of people. But no one can reflect/ponder/analyze except those who have the information/data/knowledge" [29:43]
It is a matter of common sense that men can reflect/ponder/process/analyze only after he has acquired data/information about something. Allah has quite unambiguously informed that knowledge about the universe and human body will progressively reveal to humanity since acquiring of knowledge needs constant and persistent pursuit of things to find mutual relationships. Therefore to keep stuck and following the traditions/saying of the past generations is a behavior/attitude of the sheep and cattle. About the attitude of aforesaid people it is categorically announced:
And the comparable similarity example of those people who have deliberately refused to accept is like the one who shepherds a herd with that sound in which he listens nothing meaningful except calls and whoops. They are deaf, dumb, and blind; resultantly they do not reflect/recognize/differentiate. [2:171]
The shackles coming from our earlier generations in the shape of traditions and sayings can be removed, to revive ourselves to true wisdom and knowledge, if we decide to keep ourselves bound with the words of the Qur'aan since it is the statement of proven facts, and other things are not void of doubt, conjecture, hearsay and speculative thinking of many of our earlier forefathers.
[For detailed study please see the link on 01-Surat Fateh "Word by Word Analysis"]
Important verses
You only worship idols besides God and you create a lie surely they whom you serve besides God do not control for you any sustenance, therefore seek the sustenance from God and serve Him and be grateful to Him; to Him you shall be brought back. And do not dispute with the followers of the Book except by what is best, except those of them who act unjustly, and say: We believe in that which has been revealed to us and revealed to you, and our God and your God is One, and to Him do we submit.- The parable of those who take guardians besides Allah is as the parable of the spider that makes for itself a house; and most surely the frailest of the houses is the spider's house did they but know. Quran 29:41